Spots – A Chrome New Tab Page With Tight Android Integration

With the recent retirement of the “old” New Tab Page in Google Chrome being greeted less enthusiasm than the recent revival of Heroes, chances are many of you will be on the hunt for a replacement.

‘Spots’ is an alternative new tab page for Chrome with a striking design and some neat little features.

One of its chief draws is support for relaying Android notifications on the new tab page.

The ‘New Tab’ Basics Covered

Spot Sports Slick Animations

The bulk of Spots is made up of links displayed in attractive rectangular tiles.

Your “most visited” websites, the amount of which can be configured from the settings dialog, appear first, while a list of ‘recommended’ links to popular sites sits below them.

This latter list, along with others you choose to create, can be renamed, reconfigured and have additional links added. If the default ‘two letter’ circular icons that appear next to each link aren’t to your taste, registering for a free Spots account allows you to customise them with your own images.

Visually Spots is impressive. The animation when hovering over a tile is particularly cute, though most websites seem to lack thumbnail support.

Also available are quick access to installed apps and recently closed tabs and a raft of customisation options.

Powerful Annoyance

Power Search Drawer

The idea behind the ‘Power Search’ feature is neat: it aims to let you access contacts, websites and apps from any page without having to open a new tab.

The reality is less forgiving as the pesky coloured ‘handle’ that appears to the left of all websites at all times fast gets annoying.

Thankfully it can be disabled through the Spots Settings dialog.

Android Notifications

But none the above is the ‘big sell’ of Spots. That lure falls to the promise of tight Android integration support.

When Spots is installed on Chrome and your Android device, and the same Google account is used in both, the new page can be used to search your contacts, send and receive SMS notifications in the browser, and be alerted to any incoming phone calls.

Features In Brief

Time & Weather information

‘Power Search’ drawer accessible from any website

Wide range of customisation options

Option to adjust, add and group links into categories

Quick links to ‘Apps’ and ‘Recently Closed’

Android integration

Drawbacks of Spots on Chrome

The permissions required by Spots are pretty invasive, extending to pretty much every area possible. From wanting to access your data on all webpages and modify your browsing history to seeking management of your apps, add-ons and themes.

Man, this would help me quite a bit. Right now I use Momentum, Pushbullet, and Verizon Messages to achieve what this app brings to the table.

Kenny Strawn

I’m surprised no one has come out with an extension that will put Android notifications in Chrome’s very message center that Google Now cards are in… At least in that case, Chrome OS would be no more different from Android than OS X is from iOS…

Christopher Mason

Pushbullet.

Robert Trance

Using it and love it, also on my Nexus 5 and desktop

shoryumike

OT: may I know the name of the theme showing the cat on the upper-right side? Thank you so much!

Sam Tran

It’s part of Chrome’s Users feature. If you head to Chrome’s Settings, look for the “Users” section near the bottom, click “Add new user…” and you’ll be prompted to choose an emoticon (like a cute cat :3) for your new profile.

shoryumike

Oh, thanks! I thought it was a theme. Meh, I’m a newbie T_T

Team SPOTS

Joey, thanks for taking the time to try out SPOTS and writing up this great review.

We love constructive feedback and we’ll definitely invest some time and thoughts into improving the Power Search feature, it’s going to be awesome, you’ll see… :)

With regards to the permissions, we know that they might seem invasive, but non of the data is sent to the servers and it is only used to make all the data accessible in the New Tab page and the power search. We are very sensitive to users’ privacy and, as mentioned in our Privacy Policy, “We do not rent, sell, or share your Personal Information with any third-parties…” and do not intend to do so.

We’d love to get any feedback and keep on improving the product.

Thanks again,
Sagi @ SPOTS

Ken

How is this supposed to work when Google Chrome for Android doesn’t even allow Chrome Web Store? All I get on my completely up-to-date, KitKat Google Nexus 10 is:

“Sorry, your operating system is not supported just yet. The Chrome Web Store is available on Windows (except RT), Mac, Chrome OS and Linux. Why don’t you send yourself a reminder to try it out later?”